travail
travail
UK[ˈtræveɪl]US[trəˈveɪl]
n
painful or laborious effort
n
the pain of childbirth
v
to work strenuously; to toil
Etymology
the word 'travail' entered english in the 13th century from the old french 'travaillier', meaning to torment, labor, or journey. this french term is believed to derive from a late latin word 'tripaliare', meaning to torture, which itself was based on 'tripalium', a roman instrument of torture consisting of three stakes. the semantic journey moved from the literal agony of torture, to the intense pain of childbirth, and finally broadened to encompass any kind of strenuous, painful labor or toil. this evolution captures the historical link between physical suffering and hard work.
Analysis
the word is a simplex unit borrowed from french. it cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes using its current english spelling.
Examples
the years of travail finally culminated in the publication of his masterpiece.
she was in heavy travail for many hours before the child was born.
they continued to travail in the fields from dawn until dusk.